After weeks of speculation about the person who would be projected as a Presidential candidate by the ruling BJP, it is now confirmed that Ram Nath Kovind is their choice to assume the top office of the land. Here is what we know about Ram Nath Kovind and the possible reasons for the choice.
The son of a UP farmer, Ram Nath Kovind started out as a lawyer. He was a central government advocate in Delhi High Court in the 70’s. From 1980 to 1993 he was standing counsel for the Central Government in the Supreme Court. Kovind has been a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh for two terms: from 1994 to 2000 and 2000 to 2006.
Kovind served as the personal assistant of Morarji Desai in the years 1977-78 as well. After 16 years of practice as a lawyer, he joined the BJP in 1991. He is not very well known even in political circles. In the past he has been the President of the All India Koli Samaj and President of the BJP Dalit Morcha. His forays into electoral politics were disappointing. He contested elections twice but lost each time.
After having served as the national spokesperson of the BJP, he was appointed Governor of Bihar in August 2015. According to reports dating back to that time, CM Nitish Kumar was displeased with the choice, however the two have shared a cordial working relationship since then. Kovind willingly assented to the new prohibition law in the state.
Many have welcomed the candidature of Ram Nath Kovind; a Dalit leader known to have excellent administrative skills. He was one of the first Dalit leaders to join BJP and is now seen as the ruling party’s bid to woo Dalits. He will be filing his nomination on 23 June 2017 and if he becomes president he will be the second Dalit president of the country after K R Narayanan.
Some commentators have expressed reservations about Kovind’s nomination because of his RSS background. Such is his commitment to the institution that he donated his ancestral home to the RSS, according to some reports.
As a parliamentarian, he emphasized the importance of educating rural communities and developing infrastructure which many have welcomed. Some commentators have expressed concern about comments he had made about the Ranganath Misra Commission some years ago. Regarding the committee recommendations that minorities be included in the scheduled castes categories, he had said "Islam and Christianity are alien" to India.
The announcement has come as a surprise to most. Though the candidature has not yet been endorsed by non BJP parties, it is almost a given that Ram Nath Kovind will be the next president of India. It is thought that his work for the poor and marginalized will be valuable and that his knowledge of the constitution as a lawyer will be an asset to the nation.
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